The sun is peppered with spots: There are now more than a dozen numbered active regions scattered around the solar disk. As the sunspot count increases so does the chance of flares. NOAA forecasters estimate a 25% chance of M-class eruptions and a 5% chance of X-flares during the next 24 hours.

To illustrate the growing spottiness of the sun, each active region in this Jan. 5th image from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) is circled:

Sunspot number: 167

The most active sunspot so far is emerging over the sun's northeastern limb. On Jan. 5th at 09:34 UT, the unnumbered region unleashed an M1.7-class eruption that sent a wave of ionization rippling through the upper atmosphere over Europe. The flare was too brief, however, to produce a significant CME. SDO recorded a movie of the explosion's extreme ultraviolet flash. More flares appear to be in the offing; stay tuned. Go to: www.spaceweather.com to watch movie.